


chatterbox

by caandlelit



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Banter, Feelings Realization, Getting Together, Kissing, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-28
Updated: 2020-12-28
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:42:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,553
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28387977
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/caandlelit/pseuds/caandlelit
Summary: Takahiro notices at 6:21 PM on Sunday, when they’re on the train home from a trip to Issei’s cousins in Tokyo.or, takahiro realizes that they're in love and issei proves himself to know takahiro exceedingly, exceptionally, frankly unfairly well.
Relationships: Hanamaki Takahiro & Matsukawa Issei, Hanamaki Takahiro/Matsukawa Issei
Comments: 44
Kudos: 237





	chatterbox

**Author's Note:**

> sorry this is so fire i had to drop it lol

Takahiro notices at 6:21 PM on Sunday, when they’re on the train home from a trip to Issei’s cousins in Tokyo.

It had been a pretty great weekend, as all time spent with Issei’s family is. Takahiro loves all his cousins and Issei loves bringing him along so he doesn’t have to talk, and Takahiro loves talking. Everyone wins in this scenario.

The only downside is the exhaustion that creeps in when it’s all over.

He’s dead tired, and leaning heavily into Issei’s side, one earphone in his right ear and the other hanging around Issei’s neck.

Issei’s Spotify is playing on shuffle from Takahiro’s phone. Issei, for some reason, actually  _ pays _ for Premium, so Takahiro just uses his account for the downloading perk. He’d called him a leech when he first saw that he still had it logged in, but it had been pretty fond and he hadn’t really sounded like he actually minded, so Takahiro had gone ahead and kept using it.

Issei is basically holding him up, arm wrapped firmly around his waist. Takahiro’s clinging to the strap on the overnight bag on his back that Takahiro had shoved his stuff into because he didn’t want to go to the effort of packing his own bag.

His eyes are half open, attention split between the current song, some low-fi beat he’d bop along to if he wasn’t so tired, and whatever Issei is going on about.

He’s been talking slowly, his voice low so only Takahiro can hear him, not that Takahiro is actually listening to him.

His gaze is focused somewhere behind Issei; there was something interesting out the window at least ten minutes ago, but he’s so tired that he hadn’t bothered to look away.

Takahiro shifts his chin absently where it’s pressed to his chest to make sure it doesn’t dig into him, and Issei doesn’t stop talking, but adjusts his hold around his waist to tug him just slightly closer.

And suddenly Takahiro is almost completely pressed against him, and what catches him off guard is how Issei carries on without a second thought like that’s completely normal.

And that’s when Takahiro starts paying attention.

His gaze shifts from behind his shoulder to his face, confused as to how that happened.  _ When  _ that happened. When did it become normal for them to be touching so much?

Takahiro is a pretty touchy person, and so is Issei when you get through to him, but why does he feel so tingly about it?

He’s never cared about being overly affectionate with anyone. Why is Issei different?

Issei is looking at his phone as he talks, possibly he’s complaining about what’s on it. His eyebrows are drawn together, thick and vaguely irritated, eyes dark as always, oil-black and his eyelashes catching Takahiro’s attention the way they tend to do.

His face is painted pink by the sunset outsight, colors and shadows shifting as they go past buildings and the light appears and vanishes, highlighting the hollow of his cheeks and the dark of his eyes.

His mouth is expressive as he talks, eyes just a little more focused than normal, little tells that he’s getting into the rant in the way he so rarely does.

Takahiro tunes in. 

‘-and all the fucking TikTok kids. Like, alright, you know I don’t have shit against TikTok, yeah? Like you know that. Even through Oikawa’s fucking renegade dances thing that went on for ages, whatever the fuck that was, I don’t care. But god- someone on there used a vine as the audio behind something and, you won’t believe this, Hiro, they described it as ‘ _ the Ariana Grande song’ _ . Like hello? Bruh, first of all-‘

How can he just stand there ranting about TikTok like he’s eighty and not eighteen, carrying the bag with both their belongings on his shoulder even though it’s really heavy, with his face looking like that and with his eyes not on Takahiro?  _ How dare he? _

‘-Alicia fuckin’ Keys and Usher- fucking Usher, how are they gonna disrespect my guy Usher- it’s very fucking  _ not _ Ariana, so like jot that down, yeah? Second of all, it’s that vine of the guys doing a spontaneous cover, so you’re like, ridiculously wrong, I’m just so tired, y’know- what? Something on my face?‘

Takahiro startles.

‘Huh?’

Issei’s head is tilted, looking down at him amusedly where he’s pressed against the side of his chest.

‘You weren’t even listening, were you?’

He flutters his lashes for the comedic effect.

‘Of course not, I was completely zoned out,’ he says shamelessly. ‘I’ve heard enough of your shit to be allowed a break every once in a while.’

Issei snorts, and shuts off his phone, rant gone and attention solely on Takahiro now.

His belly flips, and then he wonders why it did that.

‘I think I’ve heard more bullshit than you have, Hiro. You’re like a little chatterbox,’ he teases, and Takahiro blinks, lost in his drawling voice and the way his hair looks right now, dark and mussed and falling across his forehead.

‘Excuse me,’ he says. ‘I need a moment to register the fact that you just used the word chatterbox in a real life conversation.’

Issei’s eyes glint. ‘Why, what’s wrong with it?’

‘So many fucking things?’ Takahiro says immediately, hand regretfully coming out of his warm jacket pocket to count on his fingers to and point threateningly at Issei. ‘First of all, it’s like- it’s like a 90s word, okay, and we are well into the twenty-tens, thank you very much. Second off, no one says that anymore because it sounds ugly, third, I’ve heard that exactly once before and it was when that seventy year old English teacher called Oikawa one, fourth- stop  _ laughing,  _ I’m serious, it’s a horrible dumb word!’

Issei is trying to hold back his grin, but it’s so obvious because of his eyes, fond and indulgent, warm and stuck on Takahiro.

‘Sure, dear,’ he says, mouth pressed together in a sort of adorable way, eyes lidded and bright.

Takahiro knows there might be something in the way Issei looks at him. But it’s always been a background thing, something to think about later, something he hadn’t quite let himself think about.

But it sinks in, here and now.

He notices, catches the way Issei’s eyes are watching him.

He looks-

Takahiro swallows past the lump in his throat.

‘It’s the worst word,’ he says weakly. A response of the lowest caliber, but in his defense, he did just realize that he and Issei are in love. Give him some credit.

Issei grins wider. ‘Alright. Y’know what’s a good contender though?’

‘What.’

‘Necessary,’ Issei says, eyes shutting momentarily. ‘God I hate that word, it’s so shit, I’m always spelling it wrong, it’s the worst kind of garbage.’

Takahiro stares at him as he goes into a tangent about how much English pisses him off, apparently in a talkative mood today.

Takahiro sure as fuck isn’t complaining. He sort of gets it now why Issei is so content to let him rant with no interruptions, because he finds that he likes sitting back and watching him talk.

He gets lost in it, watching as his dark mouth forms around words, rambling and he’s very expressive with his eyebrows, as always. Takahiro gets it. If he had eyebrows that thick he’d probably make them a personality trait too.

‘-Alright, what is it.’

‘Hm?’ He comes awake, blinking up at him. ‘What’s what?’

Issei is looking down at him again, expression indulgent and expectant.

‘What do you want?’ Issei says, arm shifting to pull him upright, fingers splayed wide against Takahiro’s ribs. Takahiro hadn’t even noticed he was slipping.

His eyebrows furrow, trying not to let goosebumps rise at the warm feeling of Issei’s hand through his clothes. ‘Huh? I don’t want anything, what d’you mean?’

‘You’re looking at me like you want something. That’s your i-want-something face,’ Issei says, and Takahiro blinks.

‘What the hell are you talking about,’ he says, wetting his dry lips, doing his best not to go crazy at how Issei’s eyes subtly flit down, then back up.. ‘I don’t have a fucking ‘I want something’ face.’

‘Yes you do,’ Issei says patiently. ‘You’re doing that thing where you want something so you look at me with your eyes very big and you’re doing that shit with your mouth and the next step is the lip bite. I like to get you to tell me before the lip bite though, ‘cause it’s way too- stop it, c’mon, just tell me what you want.’

‘What shit with my mouth, I’m not doing anything, you’re stupid and crazy,’ Takahiro says, flushing slightly as Issei’s gaze dips down and lingers on his mouth, before darting back up.  _ What the hell? _

‘And why do you know my tells,’ he says as an afterthought. ‘What are you, obsessed?’

‘You’re a terrible liar, all you do is try to distract me. Too bad for you I’m used to it.’

‘I’m not something you can simply get used to, Matsukawa Issei,’ Takahiro says irritably. ‘I’m a mystery. Unlearn my tells.’

‘I’d rather not, they make it much easier to know when you want something, and you’re terribly cranky when you don’t get what you want,’ Issei responds.

‘I want you to shut up,’ he says immediately.

This, he thinks, is the definition of the word cross. Takahiro has never understood that word before this moment, but now he knows, because he is cross, and he tells Issei as much.

Issei just looks amused. ’I’m sure you are. Just spit it out. Also if you bite your lip I’ll  _ kill _ you,’ Issei adds, voice lower with a warning tone and Takahiro’s cheeks are definitely pink now.

‘Wh- Okay. I stand by the fact that I am not doing anything, because it is fact, I don’t want anything. And what, if I admit I want something and tell you what it is, you’re gonna get it for me?’ he demands. That’s just dumb.

Issei tilts his head, staring at him. ‘I mean that’s usually how it goes, yes.’

‘What the hell,’ Takahiro says.

‘You say ‘God, I really wish I had Cheetos’, so I go and get Cheetos, you take them and say, ‘thank you Issei’, all sweet and nice,’ Issei explains. ‘At least once a day, some version of this happens.’

‘What the hell,’ Takahiro says again. ‘No one has ever described me as sweet and nice.’ What is wrong with Issei, he wonders. What factory defect made him so confusingly dumb?

‘You stop looking at me with your eyes all sweet and nice and I’ll stop calling you sweet and nice,’ Issei says easily. He looks entertained. Takahiro wants to slap him but then kiss his cheek if it really hurts.

But Takahiro is furious, so he needs to focus on the argument and not fantasies of slapping Issei.

‘You’re fucking dumb,’ he replies. ‘You’re actually dumb, like you have officially become stupid. You’re nuts.’

‘Stop doing the fucking eyes and the fucking face,’ Issei says, sounding way too affected by the wrong thing. ‘And I assure you I’ll become smart. So quickly. You’ll get whiplash.’

‘I am literally not doing any face,’ Takahiro says, blinking slowly, astounded by the fact that they’re having this conversation. He thinks he’s doing pretty well at handling it though, despite how distracted he is by the way Issei’s lashes flutter, the way his mouth moves.

‘You are,’ he says, firm and factual.

Unconsciously, he bites his lip.

‘Oh my god I’m gonna  _ kill _ you,’ Issei mutters, his arm tightening around Takahiro’s waist for a split second.

‘Issei, I really think you’ve finally lost it,’ Takahiro says very gently. ‘This isn’t very good though, how are you going to take care of the dead when you’re, like,  _ brain _ dead?’

Issei looks at him, then says, ‘I’m really glad you’re tired right now because this would’ve been hell on me if you were any less quiet.’

‘Are you saying I’m loud?’ Takahiro says disbelievingly. ‘And what do you mean I’m being  _ quiet?’ _

‘I’m saying you’re a complete chatterbox but today, you are very much quiet compared to how you usually are and it’s really cute,’ Issei replies, and Takahiro’s mind goes blank.

Why is Issei calling him cute when the situation absolutely did not call for it. Is he in love with him or something? He’s so focused on this that he forgets to yell at him for saying the word chatterbox.

‘Why are you calling me cute when the situation absolutely did not call for it, are you in love with me or something?’ he asks him.

Issei tugs him up again, adjusting his hold, and replies, ‘Or something. Are you really not gonna tell me what you want? What, is it embarrassing?’

Takahiro, reeling from the easy way Issei had half admitted to being in love with him two seconds ago, accidentally admits, ‘Yes, ridiculously embarrassing.’

Issei leans in somehow closer, and Takahiro focuses very hard on not letting out any high pitched noises. That would be horrible.  _ When does this train ride end? _

‘How embarrassing can it possibly be,’ Issei says, eyebrows furrowed. ‘I literally know everything about you. What could be that bad that you want to hide it, even though from the looks of it, you  _ really  _ want it?’

‘Please don’t get obsessed with trying to figure out what it is,’ Takahiro says.

‘Too late,’ Issei says.

‘It’s really fucking embarrassing, alright,’ he answers to his earlier question. ‘Like- it’s so bad. Like this thing? It’s fucking horrible and gross and- like, all round bad.’

Issei blinks. ‘Huh. So it’s really bad and gross but you want it?’

And that’s-

Takahiro flushes violently. ‘Well it just sounds fucking horrible when you say it like  _ that.’ _

Issei huffs, eyes a little more lidded than usual. ‘Alright. Give me a hint, though?’

Takahiro’s eyes turn into slits, and he says incredulously, ‘And why the fuck would I do that when I don’t want you to know?’

Issei’s lower lip juts out, and he says, ‘C’mon. Just a hint. A vague hint. Anything.’

Takahiro wishes he had the energy to glare, but he just sighs. ‘Fine. Hint is that this thing is very fucking ugly.’

He blinks. ‘It’s- ugly.’ It’s not a question.

‘Yes, ugly. It’s the ugliest thing on the planet. Even more than the word chatterbox,’ Takahiro says. ‘It’s ugly and it’s bad and gross and it’s a complete fucking dumbass.’

That’ll throw him off, for sure. Takahiro congratulates himself internally for being such a sexy and intelligent bastard.

Issei’s eyes are narrowed. ‘Hiro…’ he says slowly. It sounds like his tiny pea-brain is doing its very best up there, and Takahiro does a little mental salute. Poor slow cogs are turning as hard as they can.

‘Is- no way,’ he says, sounding blown away.

Takahiro arches his eyebrows in question. He’s not even worried, there’s no way Issei could figure out that the thing he wants is him when even Takahiro had just realized like, fifteen minutes ago. His guess is probably something hilarious and off by a long shot.

‘Do you-‘ he falters, and his eyes are very serious as they look into Takahiro’s.

Takahiro looks back, blinks.

‘I-‘

‘Are you gonna do more than stutter, you complete fucking dumbass?’

Issei’s lips part, and he says, ‘Holy fucking shit. I’m the thing?’

Takahiro stares up at him, and curses himself for being a complete fucking dumbass.

He’s saved from having to reply as the overhead announcement blares out. They’ve arrived.

Takahiro slips out from Issei’s arms and scrambles to get off the train.

Issei catches up by the time he’s almost out of the station, fingers wrapping firmly around his wrist.

‘Curse your long legs,’ Takahiro says, dismayed.

‘You love my long legs,’ Issei responds, and he’s beaming, the asshole. ‘You think these long legs are sexy.’

‘You’re dumb, you’re completely dumb and wrong,’ Takahiro says desperately, trying to powerwalk away from him. ‘Get away from me.’

Issei tightens his hold on his wrist before he can tug it away and threads their fingers together, looking completely and utterly content as they start to walk home.

Shit, they were supposed to stay over at Issei’s house for the day, Takahiro remembers suddenly. He wonders if he can call home or if that’d worry Matsukawa-san too much.

Issei adjusts the bag strap on his shoulder, and says peacefully, ‘You want this dumbass.’

Takahiro attempts to scratch his palms so he lets go, but Issei’s skin is thick and Takahiro’s nail almost gets stuck in one of the hairs on the back of his palm, so he abandons that plan.

‘Issei,’ he says urgently, switching tactics. ‘I’m straight.’

Issei, the total douchebag, straight up laughs.

He laughs for a full minute, and by the time he’s wiping off tears with the hand not holding Takahiro’s, Takahiro is officially 90% done with his plan to merge with his jacket and become inanimate.

‘Oh, babe,’ he says, grinning. ‘You’re so cute.’

‘I’m gonna eat your entire fucking head,’ Takahiro says bad-temperedly.

‘Are you sulking now? Oh god, that’s even cuter.’

‘Have you ever once wondered how much better the world would be if you shut the fuck up?’

Issei squeezes his hand, and says, sounding delighted, ‘I love this. This is amazing. Y’know, usually it’s the other way around, and you’re the one teasing me, but I think I’m officially behind that whole phase of my life. I’m never going to stop talking now. All I’m gonna do is brag. Hanamaki Takahiro, stingiest bastard on Earth, has an honest to God crush on me. I’ve officially achieved success.’

‘I’d appreciate if you didn’t say it like that, please,’ Takahiro says as politely as he can despite his dearest wishes being to be allowed to beat his head with a baseball bat. ‘I haven’t come to terms with it yet on account that I only realized like, half an hour ago.’

Issei turns and stares at him. ‘You realized just now? You mean-‘

‘Yes, so would you please shut up or I’ll kill you?’

Issei tugs him around to look at him, then tilts his chin up.

Takahiro looks at him, and tries not to scream at the tender look in his eye.

‘Takahiro. Are you telling me, that you realized that you like me literally right now, on the train, half an hour ago, and- I figured out you like me  _ right away _ ?’

Takahiro blinks.

‘Of course you weren’t gonna be nice about it. Of course-‘ he says blankly, and Issei lets out a noise that’s very close to a whoop.

‘Oh my god! Holy fuck, I know you so goddamn well!’ he exclaims.

‘Issei, you’re the worst person on Earth,’ Takahiro says very seriously. ‘You’re so bad-‘

‘Yeah, yeah, alright, shut up, you love me.’

Takahiro glares.

Issei beams down at him and says, ‘I am so fucking lucky to get to know you this well. Also you’re so cute.’

Takahiro leans up and kisses his cheek.

He drops back down and says simply, ‘Thank you,’ because he’s too tired to come up with an elaborate insult, and all he wants is for Issei to shut up so they can go home and sleep in his bed and have breakfast with his family in the morning and maybe make out later in the day.

He patiently watches Issei’s face bloom pink and his mouth open, a horrible embarrassing high pitched noise come out, then close.

Takahiro nods very politely and acceptingly, then continues walking, and Issei moves along next to him, blessedly stunned silent.

The only remark he makes is, ‘Not much of a chatterbox now, are you.’

Issei responds with a groan, and Takahiro lets himself smile serenely.

After ten minutes, when they’re finally outside Issei’s bedroom door, welcome home over and Kenta-chan’s hair ruffled and joking small talk with his mother accomplished, Issei finally speaks up, and says, ‘I’m truly so very lucky, huh.’

‘Yes, yes you are. Now shut up and fluff up the pillows while I go brush my teeth.’

Before he can step into the bathroom, Issei cups his jaw and turns him around to kiss him, soft and sweet.

Takahiro melts, kissing back soft and pliant, matching Issei’s slow, tender pace.

They pull apart and Issei blinks, and says, because he’s very annoying, ‘You’re so cute.’

Takahiro slaps his hand off his cheek and replies, ‘I am going to eat your whole fucking head.’

‘I don’t want to fluff up the pillows because then I’ll have to leave you,’ Issei says miserably. ‘But I also  _ have _ to fluff them up because you told me to.’

‘What a dilemma. Boo hoo,’ Takahiro says, slamming the door.

When he comes out Issei is lying on the bed and taking up nearly all the space, light still on and the sound of faint snoring coming from his direction.

‘Fucking typical,’ he huffs. He didn’t even brush his teeth, Takahiro thinks to himself, shaking his head as he switches off the light and shuffles his way under the sheets.

His last lucid thought is a distant,  _ I’m gonna make so much fucking fun of him in the morning.  _

  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> follow my [twitter](https://twitter.com/caandlelit/status/1343629715899359232)  
> for daily complaints about the bewildering lack of matsuhana content


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